Karma
by Thursday Addams
Summary: Hiei never told Yukina he was her brother, and now she is confused about her feelings for him and thinks she's in love. Hiei must now try to avoid her at all costs as the girls try to set Yukina up with him, thinking Yukina likes Kuwabara. NOT a HXY story
1. Genkai's Funeral

Karma Chapter 1 Genkai's Funeral

I really think I've lost it, I have too many fics going right now. Oh well. This'll be fun! Anyway, just so everyone knows, this is NOT a HieixYukina fic and it does not contain Hiei bashing. So don't leave a review saying "great fic but you should really make it HieixYukina." No, not gonna happen. I also don't want messages from rabid Hiei fan girls yelling at me for abusing and bashing their favorite character. The summary clearly says I'll be putting him through a little bit of torture, so if you don't like it don't read it. I understand that a lot of people feel the same way I do about Hiei's choice not to tell Yukina he is her brother: It was wrong. So I basically wrote this fic to show the consequences of never telling her. This may also turn KuramaBotan if I feel like it. This fic was also written for Erica. Yay!

It was a bright, sunny day, all wrong for the funeral of a hero. Yukina watched through tear filled eyes as Genkai's casket was lowered slowly into the earth. She had always known it was going to happen, but it was still a horrible shock to find out that Genkai had died of old age. It had seemed as though nothing could possible kill the women, elderly as she was. Yukina felt two tears fall down her face and turn to gems. "Hey Yukina! Don't cry!" Kuwabara said quickly as he rushed over to comfort her. Hiei put his hand on her shoulder. "Yes, don't cry." He said. Kuwabara gave him a glare.

"Back off, Shorty! She doesn't need your help she has me!" Kuwabara said casting a protective look at Yukina.

"Hn. And what kind of comfort could you possibly give her? I personally find your stupidity amusing, but a moment of amusement is no comfort when someone you loved has just died."

"It's really alright. I appreciate the help from both of you." Yukina said in order to stop their bickering. She personally got more comfort from Hiei, who was cold, but always willing to help her. He had even saved her from a falling rock after the Dark Tournament had ended. Perhaps Hiei was a better choice than Kazuma... Her thoughts were interrupted by Botan who came over to them and immediately hugged Yukina. She let go of her and then burst into a fit of tears.

"Oh I'm sorry, I just can't believe she's dead." Botan said once she had calmed down a little.

"it's alright Botan, it's hard on us all." Kurama gave her a sympathetic look and she rested her head on his shoulder as she cried some more. He put his hand on her back and let her cry.

A few hours later at Genkai's temple

"The temple is ours now. Genkai's will stated that she would like to have all of us own it and take care of it. We were free to do whatever we wanted with it, as long as we all agreed." Kurama said.

"Well, I wouldn't mind making this my home. It's nice here." Botan said.

"I'd live here too. My mom isn't really home much so I could stay here and visit her sometimes." Yusuke said casually.

"I guess I could come here on weekends and maybe for awhile after school." Keiko said thoughtfully.

"This would be a nice alternative to renting an apartment while I'm in college." Kurama decided.

"I'd just have to ask Shizuru, but she'd prolly be glad to get me out of the house." Kuwabara added.

"Kazuma I'm right here. And I plan on living here too so don't get your hopes up." Shizuru said with an annoyed face at her brother's obliviousness.

"I'd like to live here too since I don't really have a home since I ran away from the Ice aparitions." Yukina said in her quiet voice.

"What about you Hiei?" Kurama asked turning to the fire demon.

"Hn."

"Please Hiei, you should really live here. Everyone else is and it would be nice to have you around." Yukina pleaded. Even she looked shocked at her sudden outburst. Hiei's gaze softened a little as he looked at his twin. So she wanted him around. He almost regretted not telling her the truth. Almost.

"Fine. I'll visit here from time to time when I'm not working to protect the border dividing human world and demon world." Hiei said reluctantly. Yukina smiled. It would be nice to have him around. It always comforted her to know he was there. She wasn't sure why, but his presence was soothing to her, familiar even. She blinked in a confused way at her thoughts. Did she like him? Was this the feeling that Kazuma said he felt for her? Yes, it had to be.

"We should all head home and get our things then." Kurama said. Everyone agreed. Hiei and Yukina were the only two who stayed because they didn't have anything to bring. It was relatively silent while they were there alone, as neither of them were very talkative. Finally Hiei asked her,

"So is Kuwabara good to you?"

"Yes, he's very kind." Yukina told him.

"What do you see in him?" Hiei knew it was really none of his business, but he felt he had to ask her. She was his sister after all.

"What do you mean? He's a very kind person and a good friend." Yukina said simply.

"So you don't love him?"

"I don't think so, no."

"Hn." Hiei now had an amused smirk on his face. Now he didn't have to worry about the orange haired oaf doing anything to his sister. The door to the temple opened and Kurama appeared carrying two suitcases.

"Hello." He greeted them curtly before walking up the stairs to choose a room and get everything unpacked. Next came Keiko and Yusuke. "Hey guys!" They smiled and waved before they separated and went to choose their rooms. Botan flew in on her oar and then flew up the stairs to choose her room. Shizuru and Kazuma were the last to come back. Kuwabara had packed several suitcases full of just about everything he owned. Shizuru had packed a lot too, but she hadn't tried to stuff the tv and gaming systems into their own suitcases. They went up to their rooms as well. After a few minutes Botan came down the stairs.

"Party for the girls in my room, Yukina!" She grabbed Yukina by her wrist and led her up to her room. Keiko and Shizuru were already seated on Botan's pink bed. "Alright ladies let's break out the junk food and sodas now!" Botan exclaimed happily as she pulled out two bags of chips and four sodas from thin air. The girls drank their sodas and began discussing their new life living in the temple as they crunched chips during silences. Kurama came in about an hour later and told them that they would be having dinner in roughly about twenty minutes. The girls thanked him for informing them and went back to their discussion, which was currently boys.

"I think Kurama's really cute!" Botan admitted with a slight blush.

"He is. But obviously Yusuke is my first choice." Keiko added.

"I'm a little old to be judging such young boys but if I had to pick one I would say Kurama." Shizuru admitted. "What about you, Yukina?"

"Well, umm..."

"It's ok! It doesn't have to be serious this is just all in good fun!" Botan said cheerfully.

"I sort of do like someone though. I'm not sure exactly. It's difficult." Yukina said after a moment of thought.

"OOOOOH Yukina's got a crush!" Botan teased. Yukina blushed.

"It's okay Yukina, who is it?" Keiko asked.

"It's a secret."

"So it's someone in this house though right?" Shizuru inquired.

"Yeah."

"Well we'll be glad to tell you how to win him over!" Botan said brightly. She was sure that the three of them knew Kuwabara well enough to be able to tell Yukina how to win him over, although that wouldn't take much work.

"Yeah it'd be fun!" Keiko agreed.

"If you want to win him over quickly and have him fall in love with your personality later there are just a few steps you have to take." Shizuru stated. And that was how poor Hiei's trouble began. 


	2. Step 1: Clothing and Makeup

Karma Chapter 2 

"So what's the first step I need to take? I really don't know much about winning my crush over and it's going to be hard to get him to talk to me." Yukina stated sadly. Shizuru cast her a look that showed both sympathy and confusion. Kuwabara loved to talk to Yukina. Although he was distracted by other things quite a bit, maybe that was what she meant. Shizuru shrugged off the statement and said,

"Well, we need to get his attention. Make him notice you more. First we need to start with your appearance, clothes and make up."

"Makeup? I don't know much about using that stuff. And what's wrong with my clothes?" Yukina asked as she looked down at her kimono.

"There's nothing _wrong_ with your clothes it's just that they aren't flashy enough. Let's look through our wardrobes and see what we can find for you." Botan suggested. Shizuru was the first to return. She had a pair of knee length black leather boots in her hand.

"Try these on, kid." Shizuru tossed the boots to Yukina who caught them and slowly slipped her feet in.

"They fit okay, but the heals are kind of hard to stand in." Yukina wobbled slightly on the 4 inch heals.

"They look killer."

"Alrighty here's what I got!" Botan exclaimed as she rushed into the room. She tossed Yukina a red halter top that was somewhat low cut and showed off some of her midriff. Yukina studied the article of clothing uncertainly.

"When and why did you get something like that?" Shizuru inquired. It seemed strange that the blue haired ferry girl would own something even somewhat racy.

"I bought it ages ago for a costume party." Botan said simply. Shizuru was about to ask what exactly Botan was supposed to be when Keiko walked into the room.

"I'm really sorry it took me so long. This was the only thing I could find," Keiko held up a white miniskirt, "It's from when I was on the tennis team." Yukina took the skirt from her.

"We'll let you get dressed. Come out when you're done and then we'll do your make up." Keiko said. The three girls walked out of the room and Yukina changed into her new outfit. She looked down and frowned at what she saw. The shirt was showing more cleavage than she was comfortable with, she did not have a rock hard stomach, and she was sure that if there was even the slightest breeze everyone would be able to see her underwear. She slowly wobbled over to the door and opened it.

"Oooh you look so adorable!" Botan gushed.

"Wow you look amazing!" Keiko agreed. Shizuru merely smirked.

"Okay now we get to do makeup!" Botan exclaimed excitedly. She guided Yukina over to the bathroom and pulled a large makeup case out of thin air. She set it down on the bathroom sink and opened it up. She took out a case of brown eye shadow and a brush. "Close your eyes, Yukina."

"Are you sure brown is really my color?" Yukina asked taking another look at the case of eye shadow before she closed her eyes.

"Oh yeah it'll look great!" Botan insisted as she began dusting the shadow across Yukina's eyelids. When she was done she picked up a tube of purple eyeliner and lined it across Yukina's top and bottom lashes.

"Ok I'm done with the eye make up! Keiko, you do the rest." Botan walked out of the bathroom to join Shizuru in the hallway and Keiko walked in.

"I don't usually wear makeup, but I'll do my best to make you look good!" Keiko promised. She picked up case of blush. "Hmm, rose bud. Sounds like a pretty color!" She dug through the makeup kit and found a large brush and began applying the light pink blush just a little too thickly. "There! Now for some lipstick!" Keiko dug her hand in the kit without looking and pulled out a tube of shockingly red lipstick. She put it on Yukina's lips and smiled at her finished work. Yukina slowly got up and walked out into the hallway.

"Oh you look gorgeous!" Botan exclaimed.

"Really pretty." Keiko said with a nod.

"...It's certainly eye catching." Shizuru said.

"So how do you feel?" Keiko inquired.

"I feel...I feel like...my face is melting." Some of Yukina's make up was already dripping down her face. The brown eye shadow had mixed with the purple eyeliner to create lovely diarrhea colored sweat beads that mixed with the pink blush for an even lovelier shade.

"It's just the lights. They are kinda warm. C'mon, let's do your hair and then we can go down to dinner!" Botan reassured Yukina. Yukina sat down on Botan's bed once again and half an hour later Shizuru stood in front of her admiring her work.

"Perfect." She said with a confident smirk. Yukina's hair now resembled Princess Leia's in the Star Wars movies. Botan and Keiko guided her down the stairs and in to the dining room. "Just be confident, Yukina," Shizuru whispered, "Flaunt what you've got."

"How do I do that?" Yukina whispered back.

"Just watch Keiko and I, we'll show you." Botan replied with a wink.

"Hey guys! It's about time! The food is starting to get col-" Yusuke stopped as he stared at Yukina. Her face was drenched in sweat from the strenuous task of walking down stairs in very very high heals, and the sweat mixed the colors of her make up together and made it look like she was wearing a mud mask. Her princess Leia hair and Skanky McSlutnugget outfit weren't helping much either.

"Wow, Yukina! You look hot!" Kuwabara exclaimed jumping out of his seat and running over to Yukina.

"Thank you, Kazuma."

"Doesn't she look great, Yusuke? We helped her put that look together." Keiko said lifting her chest up so her boobs were right in Yusuke's face.

"I-uh...well...uh...uh..." Yusuke's eyes suddenly went swirly and he lost his ability to string syllables together to make words as he was hypnotized by Keiko's boobs.

"I really like her look, don't you, Kurama?" Botan asked standing up a little taller and crossing one leg over the other so her pink sundress rose up a little higher.

"It's very different from what she had before." Kurama said politely. Yukina picked up her friend's hints and tried to do the same.

"I think I look great!" She lifted her chest and then when she tried to cross one leg over the other she wobbled dangerously and began to fall. Hiei rushed over to her and caught her just before she hit the ground. He stood her back up and stepped back. Yukina blushed. "Thank you, Hiei. So..umm...do you think I look good?" Her blush spread further across her face.

"Whatever makes you happy." Hiei said as he returned to his seat. Yukina gave a small smile. She interpreted his response as his way of saying he liked it. It was really his way of reminding himself that Yukina was an adult and she could do whatever she wanted, whether or not he approved. It was also his way of keeping his anger low enough to keep from strangling Botan, Keiko, and Shizuru. Just then the door to the temple opened.

"Hello one and all! The great Koenma is h-" Koenma stopped in the middle of his dramatic entrance once he spotted Yukina's hair.

"Donuts!" Koenma and George cried simultaneously. They ran towards Yukina and were about to start devouring her hair when Botan hit them both over the head with her oar.

"Those are _not_ donuts, that is her hair!" Botan cried angrily. She turned to Yukina. "Dont worry dear, they're just hallucinating a little from hunger. Let's eat!" Everyone took their place at the table and ate their meal mostly in silence.

"So Kurama, how's the college life been for you so far?" Botan asked as she turned to the gorgeous red head seated on her left.

"It's been going very well. I am a little disappointed though. Some of my classes aren't very challenging." Kurama responded as he scooped himself some spaghetti.

"Nothing ever is for you." Yusuke said with a slight hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Yeah I wish I was as smart as you then I wouldn't have to study so much!" Kuwabara said in between mouthfuls of chicken.

"I'm very flattered, but after 415 years of being alive it would be very sad not to be intelligent." Kurama said with a small smile. Yukina looked over at Hiei who was currently more interested in his food than the current conversation. She knew there were still several other steps to get him to notice her, but she wished it would work just a little faster. To stay optimistic she reminded herself that she had at least gotten a compliment, which was rare for him. She would just have to wait until next weekend when all the girls could get together again and do more planning. She smiled to herself as she watched Kurama and Botan converse about work. She saw that Botan wasn't using any of the tactics that they had gone over so far. But then again Kurama and Botan had known each other for a few years. Yukina certainly didn't want to wait that long.

Ok so that's where I'm ending it. Thanks for all the reviews guys I really appreciate it! I'm not sure when I'll have this updated again but you can check my profile to see when I plan to update it by. If I get three more reviews however that may motivate me to get the chapter up faster. -wink wink nudge nudge-


	3. Step 2: Act mean

Karma Chapter 3

After dinner Yukina went to Botan's room to celebrate with the rest of the girls who would not be staying at the temple, and afterwards she rushed to her room. She danced around her room happily as she thought of the small progress she had made with Hiei. He had complimented her, and even caught when she was about to fall. She remembered the way his warm touch had felt on her arm. Yukina felt lighter than air. The feeling made her feel like she was in a dream. After she was done prancing around her room in an excited manner (which was quite a feat considering she was still wearing Shizuru's high heeled boots) she changed into her pajamas and went to Botan's room to hang out with the rest of the girls.

The next morning Yukina was awakened by the golden rays of the sun. She stretched lazily and then got up. She rummaged through her closet, trying to pick out an outfit that was similar to the one Keiko, Shizuru, and Botan had picked out for her. After a few minutes of searching without success, she gave up and pulled out her green kimono. After her shower Yukina dried her hair and opened up the make up case the girls had used last night. She blinked in confusion at the colorful palette in front of her. She couldn't tell the difference between eye shadow, blush, and lipstick. They had never had need for these things in the ice world, seeing as though there were no men around to impress. She threw the make up case aside and reflected on what she had discussed with the girls last night.

Flashback

Shizuru, Botan, Keiko, and Yukina were all gathered together in Botan's room. The five of them were piled onto Botan's extremely small bed, a feat not uncommon for most teenage girls. Botan had brought one of her favorite movies over, and it had elements for getting guys that Yukina was supposed to study. A girl with wavy red hair and a pink tank top appeared on the screen. She turned around in her desk to look at a fairly unattractive jock boy who was supposed to be the lead male role. "Hey, I'm having a party this Saturday. Wanna come?" She asked.

"Who's all invited?" The jock boy said, flashing a gorgeous smile at her which was his only good attribute.

"Just a few cool people, and you better be one of them beotch."

Botan paused the movie and Shizuru stood up.

"Okay kid, this is an example of our next step to getting the guy. After you've shown him how attractive you are and sparked some interest, you have to be mean. This will make him hate you, but want you at the same time because you now pose more of a challenge," Shizuru said.

"But, I don't want him to HATE me. I just want him to pay more attention," Yukina protested.

"Oh don't worry, he won't REALLY hate you. It will just confuse him, and then he'll continue going after you because confusing things intrigue boys. The little hamster on a wheel in their brain can't handle the amount of running to generate enough brain power for the boy to figure us out. So the hamster explodes, because it's a well known fact that if you run too much you'll explode, and the boy becomes a brainless zombie who will bend to your every whim. Pretty cool, huh?" Botan explained in her usual cheery voice.

"I guess so..." Yukina trailed off still sounding unsure, "Well, how do I act mean? I'm not exactly a mean person by nature."

"Just do little things like punch him in the arm, make him do things for you that you could have just as easily done for yourself, call him names like in the movie, nothing too mean," Keiko suggested.

"Alright," Yukina said with a tiny bit more confidence in her voice.

End Flashback

Yukina walked out of her room and began the descendent down the unnecessarily long staircase. She took a deep breath as she reached the bottom step, hoping that Hiei would be awake and she would get to spend some time alone with him. When she studied the kitchen, she saw that her wish had come true. Hiei was sitting alone at the table wolfing down some pancakes that Botan had made before she left for work. Yukina grabbed a plate out of the cupboard and sat down next to him. He stared at her for a moment as she buttered her pancakes.

"Hello Yukina," It was slightly out of character for him to ever greet anyone first, but the author decided not to care.

"_Oh! He made the first move! Okay, what do I do now? Should I say 'hi' back? Yeah, that sounds good. Wait, I have to be mean like the girls taught me!"_ Yukina thought quickly.

"...Bad morning, Hiei," Yukina said trying to sound rude.

Hiei frowned at her and said nothing. Yukina reached for the syrup bottle but it was too far away. She decided to ask Hiei for it, but then she remembered that she had to be mean. She didn't think there was a mean way to ask for syrup.

"Umm, Hey Hiei, may I please have the syrup, if it isn't too much trouble for you to pass it to me...beotch," Yukina said timidly as she searched Hiei's expression for signs that her techniques were working.

Hiei blinked at her in confusion for a few moments before handing her the large bottle of syrup. Yukina took it without saying thank you as she normally would. Hiei studied her for a moment, wondering what was bothering his sister. He thought about looking into her mind with his Jagan eye, but he quickly cleared that thought out of his head. Normally he wouldn't hesitate to see what was in someone's mind should he ever be curious enough to do so, but Yukina was different. It was a complete violation of her privacy to do that. Just then Yukina spilled some syrup on her kimono.

"Hiei, you better get me a napkin!" Yukina said sweetly, completely ignoring the fact that she had a napkin right next to her.

"Hn," Hiei responded as he got up to fetch a napkin for her from the large package in the middle of the table. At that exact moment Kuwabara came walking down the stairs. He spotted Yukina with a syrup spot on her kimono and Hiei reaching for a napkin. His pastry shaped hair predicted what was going to happen, so he rushed into the kitchen and yelled, "Stop!"

Hiei stopped reaching for a napkin in mid grab and Yukina turned to him, her eyes wide. She saw the panic etched across his hair and frowned. He was totally about to ruin her secret super special awesome plan to make Hiei love her. The koorime twins stared at Kuwabara for a few more moments, waiting for him to do something.

"Stop," he repeated again. "Hammer time!" He then started to do the bump.

Hiei and Yukina groaned. Didn't Kuwabara understand? Random obscure MC Hammer references are not funny, unless they are made by Family Guy.

"No, seriously guys! This is fun, you should try it! It would distract Hiei while I save Yukina from the sudden dangers of a syrup spot!" Kuwabara insisted as he grabbed the napkin that was laying right next to Yukina's hand and he wiped the syrup spot clean, because that totally works and everything.

"Thank you, Kazuma," Yukina said gratefully, trying to mask the annoyance in her voice. Hiei frowned at the site of Kuwabara and his orange carrot top touching Yukina and drooling over her.

"Oaf, why are you not at school?" Hiei questioned angrily. It was bad enough to have Kuwabara in the house on weekends, but on a school day when he had a perfectly good excuse to be gone was down right unacceptable.

Kuwabara wiped the drool from his hair before responding, "School? It's a Saturday,"

"No, it's not. It's Monday," Yukina stated.

"Nuh-uh! See? It goes Sunday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Saturday, Saturday, Friday, Monday, Thursday, and then it repeats! I know my days of the week because I watched Barney as a kid!" Kuwabara stated proudly as he used his fingers to count all seven days of the week.

"You listed Saturday twice," Hiei pointed out.

"Yeah! It's just so awesome it comes twice a week!" Kuwabara said, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Michael Davis.

Yukina sighed and showed him the large calendar that was hanging on the wall, proof that it was Monday. Kuwabara gasped in shock and then quickly ran out the door. Hiei and Yukina sat in an awkward silence as they ate the remainder of their breakfasts. When Hiei finished he stood up to wash his plate and then do whatever it is that he does when he's not appearing in the upcoming scene in fanfiction. Yukina watched with horror as he pushed in his chair._ "Oh no! I can't let him get away! I've made so little progress. What should I do?"_ Yukina thought desperately. She blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

"Hey, I'm having a party next weekend and I'm inviting a few cool people, and you better be one of them, beotch!" Yukina sat frozen in shock as what she had just said registered in her brain. She couldn't believe what she had done. She had been trying to think of a way to make him stay that would also follow the guidelines that the girls had given her, and the first thing that came to mind was a clip from the movie they had watched last night.

"A party? What for?" Hiei asked, his eyes narrowed. While Yukina didn't mind people, it was highly unlike her to even go to a party, much less hold one.

"Uh...to celebrate how we've been living in the temple peacefully and successfully since Genkai's death!"

"We've only been living in the temple for two days."

"Yeah well, they say the first two days are the hardest and we have survived!"

"Whatever," Hiei stated coldly as he walked out of the kitchen. Yukina let her head fall down onto the table and she began criticizing herself. Not only had she come across as strange and rude, but she had to host a party now so that he would come.

_"At least I'll get to spend some time with him."_ Yukina thought as she got up to clear her plate.

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your reviews! I'd especially like to thank browneyes21 for her persistence in motivating my lazy ass to update. I'd also like to apologize for the long wait in between updates. I'll try to work on that., although school keeps me pretty busy. I'll try to update sometime before my summer vacation, which begins June 6th. If I don't then you can expect an update sometime close after the aforementioned date. Thanks again!


	4. Step 3: Socializing

So, after a very long wait, I have finally updated

So, after a very long wait, I have finally updated. You can thank my good friend Lunaquois, for she hath inspired me to update mine fanfiction. Speaking of her, if you enjoy this fic, you should read hers. (It's called the 400 year old virgin, and you'll have to put the address before the /s/ to make the link work) /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

Hooray for free advertising!

Karma Chapter 4

Step 3: Socializing

Yukina paced nervously around her bedroom as she waited impatiently for school to let out. She had been thinking about her screw up at breakfast all morning, and she had come to the conclusion that this problem was not one she could solve on her own. She was going to wait until Keiko was home from school, and then she would call her and get her opinion on the situation. Shizuru would not be home until supper; her college classes ran late. She had partially formed a solution to her problem, which was that she would host a party this weekend, but she knew nothing of parties or how to act at one, and that was where the girls came in. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

Suddenly there was a knock on her door. She jumped a little out of shock. She and Hiei were the only ones present in the house. It was highly unusual of him to seek out company, not to mention go to the trouble of doing the polite thing by knocking on her door. Usually he would just appear wherever the person he wanted to see was, make a brief comment or ask a very pointed question, and then rush off to get back to whatever it is Hiei does to pass the time. Her heart raced as she walked over to the door. She was ecstatic that Hiei had sought her out. When she opened the door she imagined peering into his ruby red eyes, only to her disappointment to see Kurama and his mullet in front of her. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

"Hello Yukina," He greeted warmly. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

"Hello Kurama. What brings you here? I thought you had class," Yukina stated as she tried to hide her disappointment. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

"I do, but I'm on my lunch right now and I decided to come back to the temple instead of eating on campus. Today's special is mystery meat and I don't trust it one bit," Kurama explained with a shudder at the thought of mystery meat. "Anyway, I just came up to tell you that I made some lunch and your welcome to have some. I couldn't find Hiei, but I'm sure he'll make his way to the dining room if he's hungry. You look a bit pale, is something wrong?" /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

"Oh, no! I'm just famished is all. Thank you very much for making lunch, Kurama," Yukina said quickly. Truthfully her heart had almost stopped when he mentioned Hiei. Although she liked to see him, a part of her was hoping she would not have to talk to him until the whole party ordeal was taken care of. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

Before Kurama could speak, Yukina walked out of her room and began the long descent down the steps, closing the door behind her. Kurama followed and frowned to himself. He wondered why her face had paled when he mentioned Hiei. Hiei would never do anything to make her fear him, so he assumed that some sort of fight had broken out between Hiei and Kuwabara again. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

Relief flooded through Yukina as she walked into the kitchen to find it empty except for a plate of sandwiches that Kurama had prepared. She sat down and grabbed a sandwich, slowly taking a bite out of it as Kurama sat down next to her. The two of them remained quiet for a few moments, each absorbed in their own thoughts as they enjoyed their meal. Yukina was still desperate to get the party situation taken care of, and Kurama was busy wondering about Hiei and Kuwabara. They had small arguments here and there and picked on each other often, but they were not hateful about it. He supposed that Yukina was just not used to seeing them act that way and that was why she was bothered. Still, he thought he ought to do the right thing and assure her that there was nothing to worry about. He didn't want her to know that he had already figured out what was bothering her, as that sort of scared most people, so he set his sandwich down and asked,"Yukina, you still look a bit perturbed. Is anything wrong?" /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

Yukina studied him for a moment. Kurama was always sweet, polite, and willing to lend a hand in others' troubles. He was resourceful and down right brilliant, and, more importantly, Hiei's closest friend. Yukina decided that she could trust him with this. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

"Well, you see, I like this guy, but, it's really complicated..." Yukina began, choosing her words carefully. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

Kurama suddenly understood. She liked Kuwabara, but Hiei did not approve. "Hmm, well I think that the best thing to do in your situation would be to just go for it. Do whatever makes you happy, and don't worry about anyone else," Kurama said wisely. He knew that although Hiei did not think Kuwabara the best choice for his sister, he just wanted her to be happy above all else. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

"I've been trying that, you see, but it's not working out quite the way I had hoped. I've made a little progress which I guess I should be thankful for, but it would be a great relief if it would just happen instantly," Yukina confided. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

Kurama mentally sighed. He wanted to help Yukina by informing Hiei of this so that he could just tell her that he approved, but he tried to stay out of Hiei's affairs concerning his sister. Besides, Hiei would never directly tell Yukina that he approved of her and Kuwabara. He would only tell her to do what made her happy, and Kurama was sure that Yukina already knew this. She was looking for a more solid approval, one that she would not easily find. He stood up and pushed in his chair. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

"I'm going to go find Hiei and talk with him for awhile. I will probably have to get back to campus after that, considering the time. I do hope you'll remember my advice and I apologize for leaving you so abruptly," Kurama said with a secret kind of smile. Yukina nodded and stood up as well. She was thankful that Kurama had understood her, and she hoped he would be able to help her in her endevours. She was slightly worried about how much Kurama was going to tell Hiei, but then she remembered that he was a fox demon and all her worries subsided. He would be clever and tell Hiei just enough to peak his interest, but not enough to satisfy his curiosity. She felt much better having him on her side. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

Kurama didn't have to look very hard to find Hiei. The fire apparition was outside practicing his sword fighting against an unfortunate tree. He slashed the tree twice, making two small half circles. Then he leapt up into the air and came crashing to the ground a split second later, becoming a blurr due to his inhuman speed. Before jumping, he had stuck his sword into the tree and then thrust it upward as he leapt into the air. Such a manuever would have killed most any foe of his, slicing their body in half from the center of their stomach to the top of their head, but since his adversary was a tree, he only reached about halfway up the trunk. He thrust the sword downward into the bark as he descended from the air. He pulled his sword out of the air and held his arm limply at his side to admire his work. He blinked emotionlessly at the tree for a moment before his eyes widened in terror. He had subconsciously carved the shape of a large penis into the tree in front of him. /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

He slashed hurriedly at the tree until the penis was no longer visible underneath the marks from his sword. Just then Kurama appeared behind him.

"Hello Hiei. That's a very unusual technique you're using. You're not usually one to just go hacking and slashing your oponent to pieces," Kurama remarked with a knowing smirk. Hiei turned around and glared at him.

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you about Yukina. Something about her seems a little off. She pales at the mention of you, you know."

"Hn. She has been acting strange lately," Hiei admitted as he stared thoughtfully at the blade in his hand.

"I think that it has something to do with Kuwabara," Kurama said choosing his words carefully. He was about to explain further when Hiei interrupted him.

"If that oaf has done anything to hurt her I swear I will kill him!" Hiei shouted angrily. Kurama frowned.

"That's not what I meant Hiei. I think she's worried about you and Kuwabara," Kurama stated putting the emphasis on you.

"Why would she be worried about us? I can take care of myself, and although Kuwabara is not bright he's not as much of an idiot as he seems," Hiei said with a snort. Kurama could see that Hiei was not getting the point, so he decided to change his approach.

"Yukina looks up to you as a brother figure, you know. Even if you won't tell her, I think she knows."

"Kurama! Don't say that! That is no one's business but my own. What if someone were to hear you?" Hiei asked angrily, drawing his blade.

"All I meant, was that she places a very high value on your opinion."

Hiei looked thoughtful for a moment. "What are you getting at?"

"I'm merely saying that she is worried about her present status and I think she needs a little brotherly help."

"Stop speaking in riddles, Kurama! Tell me what is wrong with my sister!" Hiei demanded.

"Speaking in riddles? I'm no trickster, Hiei. I've already told you what would help her. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll need to be getting back to campus," Kurama said checking his watch. He walked back to his car and drove away, hoping that Hiei had gotten the message.

/s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

Hiei mentally cursed Kurama and returned to his training. He could barely focus on what he was doing. He was too busy trying to decipher Kurama's message. All he knew what that it had something to do with Kuwabara, his opinion, and him being her brother. If Kurama was proposing that Hiei tell Yukina that they were related, there was not a chance in hell that it was going to happen. Besides, Hiei being her long lost twin brother had nothing to do with Kuwabara.

Meanwhile, Yukina was up in her room watching the movies that Botan had loaned her. Most of them were chick flicks about the life of a high school student. Much to Yukina's joy, a majority of the films contained a party scene in which the lead female made attempts to graps the leading male's attention. It appeared to her that all the parties had loud music, plenty of food, and a lot of alcohol. It also didn't seem that difficult to host one. All the host had to do was greet everyone and then walk around mingling with the guests. She felt relieved upon discovering that, but her biggest problem had yet to be solved. She wasn't sure how she was going to make more progress with Hiei. She could barely manage small talk for a few seconds. She highly doubted that she would be able to talk to him for hours, if he even showed up for the party. Yukina looked at her clock. It was exactly 3:17. Keiko had been out of school for two whole minutes. Yukina rushed over to the phone in her room and quickly dialed Keiko's number.

"Hello. Yukimura residence, Syphilis-san speaking," The voice on the other line said.

"Hi. May I please speak to Keiko if it isn't too much trouble?" Yukina asked politely.

"Sure. Hold on. KEEEEEEEEEIKOOOOOOOOOOOOO! PHONE!" The voice shouted. After a few seconds of silence and the sound of the phone changing hands, Yukina heard Keiko's voice.

"Who is this?"

"This is Yukina. I have something important to tell you and I need a lot of help," Yukina admitted. She told Keiko the whole story and when she was finished Keiko said,

"Well, I have to go help my parents with their restaraunt now, but I'll see if I can get a hold of the girls and the four of us will get together before the party so we can work this out, OK?"

"Alright. Thanks Keiko. Bye," Yukina said before she hung up the phone. She felt a little better after telling someone, but she was still nervous about Saturday.

**1 hour before the party on Saturday  
**  
/s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

Botan, Shizuru, Keiko, and Yukina were all sitting together in Yukina's room giving her advice on how to act at the party. It seemed simple enough, but Yukina wasn't sure with her nerves that she could pull it off.

"Relax Yukina! All you have to do is laugh at everything he says, even if it isn't funny. Also, try to remember everything else we've taught you. Remember to be flirty, but not too kind. Do you think you can handle that?" Botan asked.

"I'll try," Yukina said weakly.

"Alright. Now that we've got that settled, I'm going to go buy the drinks for the party. Keiko, you cook the food. Botan, you help Yukina decorate and inform the others," Shizuru ordered as she got up to leave the room.

The others got busy with their tasks. Keiko had made sandwhiches among other delicious party foods. Botan had informed everyone that the party was going to start as soon as Shizuru got back, and she threatened Hiei when he had not immediately told her that he would be there. Yukina had set up the table that the food would go on, pilfered the stereo from Kuwabara's room, and had borrowed some of Yusuke's CDs. Just then Shizuru burst through the door with several bottles of sake in her arms.

"Phew. That was a close one. I almost got busted," Shizuru said as she set the bottles on the table.

"Busted? Shizuru, aren't you well over the age of 21?" Botan asked.

"Well yeah, but buying alcohol is no fun when it's legal, so I stole it," Shizuru explained. Botan sweat dropped but said nothing. Just then Yusuke burst into the room, followed by Kuwabara.

"Hey guys! Killer, there's sake!" Yusuke exclaimed as he hurried over to the refreshment table and opened up one of the many bottles Shizuru had bought.

"Hey! Don't drink that whole bottle! That stuff cost me a fortune!" Shizuru exclaimed as she watched Yusuke down half the bottle in one gulp.

"But Shizuru, I thought you stole it," Botan pointed out.

"Yusuke you brat! I can't believe you're already drinking!" Keiko exclaimed angrily as she prepared to slap Yusuke.

"Relax Keiko. I'm not going to get drunk. Alcoholism runs in the family. I'm no light weight," Yusuke said smoothly as he took another gulp. "Hey Kuwabara, have a couple with me, will ya?"

"No way, Urameshi! I'm an honest man, and honest men don't drink," Kuwabara stated firmly.

"Oh I get it. You don't have a penis," Yusuke said with a smirk.

"I do so Urameshi! And you know it!" Kuwabara shouted.

"What? How would you know, Yusuke! You punk! Are you cheating on me?" Keiko exclaimed as she lunged at Yusuke. Yusuke took the blow and then turned to Kuwabara.

"Well then prove it," He stated simply.

"Yukina, you don't mind if I have a drink, do you?" Kuwabara asked.

"No, I won't stop you if you want to," Yukina said chuckling softly at the thought of Kuwabara drunk.

Botan noticed Yukina's chuckle and whispered in her ear, "Remember to be mean too."

"OK, I will," Yukina said. She was unsure of why Botan was reminding her of this now, but she figured the reminder couldn't hurt.

Three hours and 12 tons of alcohol later, there was still no sign of Hiei. Kurama had shown up a few minutes after Yusuke, apologizing for being late due to his studies. Yukina had lost all hope that he would show up, and she was now worried about Yusuke and Kuwabara. Yusuke was so drunk that he thought he was Leonidas from 300, and Kuwabara was babbling senselessly.

"I better make them some tea to drink so that they're not hung over in the morning," Keiko said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Botan, can you go find Hiei for me? I want everyone to be here," Yukina said sadly.

"Sure. I don't understand why he hasn't shown up yet, but I'll bring him back with me," Botan said determindly. As soon as she was gone Yukina turned to Kurama.

"Don't worry, Yukina. I talked to Hiei before I had to go back to campus and I'm sure he got my message. He should be here soon," Kurama reassured her. Just then Hiei appeared out of the shadows.

"Hello Yukina," He said curtly.

"Haha. Hi Hiei," Yukina said, then she remebered that she was supposed to be mean too, "What do you want?"

"I heard Yusuke and Kuwabara were drunk so I came to see for myself." Yukina laughed again. Hiei gave her a strange look.

"So are you enjoying yourself?" Hiei asked. He hoped that she was not upset by Kuwabara's drunken state.

"Hahahaha! Yes I am, bitch," Yukina answered. The words and laughter felt awkward coming out of her mouth and they sounded forced, but she trusted the other girls to know what they were talking about. Hiei frowned slightly at Yukina's strange behavior and wondered if she would laugh at anything he told her.

"Yukina, I have a cancer," Hiei said simply. This caused Yukina to burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. Hiei glared at Kurama and asked angrily, "Is she drunk? Did you let her get into the sake?" /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin

"No. She hasn't had anything to drink, as far as I know. She was too busy worrying about when you would show up," Kurama said smugly. Hiei glared at him again and then turned back to Yukina.

"Yukina, I need to talk to you about something," Hiei said staring at her seriously. Yukina was too excited to remember anything the girls had taught her.

"A...Alright," She said nervously. Just then Keiko walked into the room with the tea. She handed a cup to Yusuke who grabbed it out of her hands quickly and drank it just as fast.

"What's in this?" He asked Keiko.

"This is sugar," She stated simply, pointing to the white lump in his tea.

"Sugar? THIS. IS. SPLENDAAA!" He shouted as he kicked Kuwabara into the large black vortex that had appeared in the center of the room moments before.

"Bro!" Shizuru shouted as she watched Kuwabara fall into the vortex.

"Yusuke what have you done! We have to get him back!" Keiko screamed.

"Chill guys, it's all good. The exit to that portal is in my ass," Yusuke stated calmly as he took another sip of his tea.

"Yusuke, you can't expect us to believe that. Besides, Family Guy already did it, and we referenced that show last chapter. We can't do it again. We'll get sued," Kurama said in a disbelieving tone. Suddenly Yusuke fell to the floor, clutching his stomach.

"Oh god! He's seen the light at the end of the tunnel!" Yusuke screamed as Kuwabara burst forth from his ass. Kuwabara emerged covered in several cuts and bruises. Apparently the world inside Yusuke's ass was a dangerous place for outsiders.

Meanwhile, Hiei was finishing his discussion with Yukina. "Kurama told me you've been worried about what I think, and I just wanted you to know that I really am...I'm..." He started to tell her the truth, but something stopped him. He didn't want her to know. What if she had pictured her brother to be very different from him? What if it upset her? "I'm very proud of the person you've become," He finally choked out. He saw her smile and he instantly felt relieved.

"Yukina! Come here! You have to help me heal Kuwabara!" Botan exclaimed. Yukina turned her head toward Botan's direction and spotted Kuwabara.

"Kazuma!" She cried as she ran over to him. As she began to heal his cuts his eyes fluttered open slowly. "Kazuma! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine now that I see your pretty face," Kuwabara said before falling unconscious again.

"I think he should be fine now. Kurama, will you take Kuwabara up to his room?" Botan asked. When Kurama had disappeared up the stairs with Kuwabara and Hiei had gone to his tree for the night, Yukina said,

"So guys? Did you hear what he said to me? I think it's definitely a good sign!"

"Yeah! That's great Yukina!" Keiko exclaimed, thinking of Kuwabara.

"I know! I just can't believe it!" Yukina gushed as she replayed the scene with Hiei in her mind.

"That means you're ready for the next step," Shizuru said simply.

"Really? What's that?" Yukina asked curiously.

"You have to go after him now. And you can't take no for an answer," Botan said seriously.

Whoo! That's it! Review please! /s/3757644/1/400YearOldVirgin


	5. Step 4: Making a Date

Karma Chapter 5

Hello all! I would like to start off by saying that I'm terribly terribly sorry for the lack of updates! I know it's been forever! I'm happy to inform you that there shouldn't be too much wait between this chapter and chapter 6, since I know how I want it to go. I also hope the length of this chapter makes up for the lack of updates. (Don't worry, I know it doesn't.) I would especially like to thank brown eyes for her unconditional motivation, and Jandy for letting me talk the chapter out to her. This update wouldn't have happened without them! Enjoy!

"Go after him?" Yukina repeated timidly, "I don't think I've made enough progress to do that…"

"Oh sweetie of course you have! You heard him compliment you. He's totally smitten. " Botan encouraged.

"All right, but I don't even know where to start with going after him. I mean, what do I do?"

"I think you should start small. Maybe ask him to take you to a movie or have dinner with you," Keiko suggested.

"A movie sounds good! Dinner seems too formal for just a first date. You should ask him to take you to that new zombie movie. Horror movies are always the best to see with a guy. You can act scared and then he'll get all protective. It's really cute and it'll give him the confidence to make a move," Botan explained. She knew that Yukina wouldn't even have to act scared for Kuwabara's protective nature to kick in. As soon as the first zombie appeared on the screen, Kuwabara would immediately put on a macho act. This plan seemed flawless and as Botan was mentally congratulating herself on her brilliance, Yukina asked,

"How do I not take no for an answer? I mean, what if he doesn't _want_ to see a movie with me?"

"It's really simple kid; all you have to do is be persistent. First you should whine just a little. You need to show him how disappointed you'd be if he didn't go with you. Men are weak and can't stand it when women are upset. Then if he still doesn't go, you alter your plans just a little, to show him that you are hell bent on going. Suggest a different time to see the movie, or tell him he doesn't have to buy you popcorn. If he still won't go for it, roundhouse kick him in the face and tell him you'll beat the crap out of him if he doesn't take you," Shizuru said wisely. Everyone sweat dropped.

"She does have a point. Persistence is the key. Guys don't have the patience to keep arguing with girls, so they'll just give in eventually. Trust me," Keiko said confidently.

"OK, I will ask him tomorrow morning to take me to see the movie on Friday," Yukina stated, trying to sound confident, "But I'll need to ask him when no one else is around. Can you guys try to get everyone else out of the house since it's Sunday?"

"Absolutely! We'll arrange a picnic and day at the park. It's supposed to be beautiful tomorrow, so it won't seem like a weird suggestion. We should all go upstairs and get some rest for the big day tomorrow though," Botan reminded them. Everyone agreed to get some rest and so the women bounded up the stairs with a new spring in their steps at the idea of setting up a date.

The next morning everyone was gathered around the kitchen table eating breakfast. Botan and Kurama were discussing literature quietly while Kuwabara showed off his bruises to Yukina. Hiei and Shizuru watched the display with disgust. Keiko sat deep in thought about how to bring up the picnic, while Yusuke was still passed out on the floor from the other night. Finally, Keiko decided she should just say it casually, as if it was an idea that struck her while she was looking out the window.

"Hey guys, I was thinking that since it's such a beautiful day, we should all go out and enjoy it together," Keiko said in what she hoped was her most convincing casual voice.

"Yeah! It would be much less dangerous than last night's activities!" Botan chimed in.

"I have missed being able to enjoy nature," Kurama stated.

"Yeah! Let's have a picnic and play some competitive sports!" Kuwabara shouted. He was always happy to show off.

"Actually, I think you should stay home little brother. Your bruises haven't healed all the way. I really don't want you risking it. I'm sure Yukina would be happy to stay home and take care of you, though," Shizuru said giving Yukina a look. Yukina mentally frowned. There would be no way she could get to Hiei alone with Kuwabara following her everywhere and trying to get her attention. What was Shizuru doing?

"I guess I should since my bruises are pretty bad. I know the power of my love for Yukina will heal me!" Kuwabara said thrusting his fist into the air.

"Yes, yes it will. Now, you will be joining us, won't you Hiei?" Botan asked with a deadly undertone in her voice.

"I've never been one for social events," Hiei said coldly pushing in his chair and getting up from the table before anyone could argue.

"Well, I guess he doesn't have to come if he doesn't want to. He does keep to himself mostly, so he shouldn't get in the _way _around the temple," Botan said trying to put a positive spin on things.

"What about Yusuke? I don't think he's in any condition to go out, although I'm sure you would all _really_ want him to," Kurama said with an air of suspicion in his voice.

"He'll be out cold for the next week. It's not like that's any different from how he usually is, though. I say we leave him," Keiko said coldly. She had still not forgiven Yusuke for making her so worried the last night.

"I guess it's settled then. We should really head out to the park before too many people get there. We can pick up food for the picnic on the way there," Shizuru said. Everyone rose from the table and headed toward the door. "Take care of my little bro," Shizuru said with a wink before she was the last to leave the temple.

"Soooo….Yukina, you wanna touch my owies? Maybe kiss 'em and make 'em better?" Kuwabara asked hopefully, learning in closer to Yukina and motioning to a large unattractive bruise on his already unattractive face.

"Uh, not that I wouldn't love to, Kazuma, but uh, I think you should take a hot bath first. The heat will make the blood flow better throughout your body. You'll heal faster that way. Actually, maybe you should just take a nap in the hot springs for a few hours," Yukina suggested, trying to time how long the others would be gone.

"Whatever you say is best for me, my love…" Kuwabara said in a disappointed tone as he slumped away to the hot springs behind the temple.

As soon as he had gone, Yukina began her search for Hiei. She found him in the forest practicing his fighting techniques. She approached him cautiously, feeling bad for interrupting his training. She tried to formulate a conversation in her head, keeping in mind all the previous tips the girls had given her. _Be mean, show off, be persistent. Oh, why didn't I put on any make up when I woke up? And my kimono is so plain. Maybe I should wait to ask him. No, now is my only chance. If I don't do it now, I'll keep pushing it off and I'll never do it. Okay, here goes…_

"Yukina, what are you doing out here?" Hiei asked interrupting her as she was just about to speak. His voice was more concerned than annoyed. For this, Yukina was grateful.

"I…I need to…to ask you something…" Yukina stammered. She didn't know how to ask him while doing all the things she had been instructed on. She had never been so nervous in her life. Hiei, meanwhile, was equally nervous. He was afraid that Kurama had hinted to her that he may be her brother. He didn't want her to ask. He had never planned out what he would say if she directly confronted him.

"Yes?" Hiei said after a tense moment.

"Well, there's this new zombie movie out, and I REALLY want to see it. But you see I have no one to go see it with. The other girls don't really like monster movies," Yukina explained in her best begging voice. She took her hair out of its usual pony tail to make herself seem more attractive as she continued, "so you BETTER take me Friday night," She had said that rather aggressively in hopes that she would come across as persistent, and mean, but also desirable. Hiei just stared blankly at her. He was too surprised to say anything. This had not been at all the question he had expected, and her sudden change in tone and mood really threw him off. Yukina took his silence as a bad sign, so she added quickly, "And we can go Saturday night if you're already going out on Friday. Actually, we can go whenever you want. You don't even have to buy me popcorn! I don't even _like_ popcorn!"

Hiei was now more confused than ever. He stared into her identical crimson orbs for a moment, and saw a small fleck of pain in them at his silence. He didn't understand her desire to watch a cheesy human horror movie or her decision to ask _him_ of all people to a social event, but he couldn't stand to see her unhappy. He supposed he should be glad she was asking to spend time with him and not that pastry headed oaf Kuwabara. Hiei balled his hands into fists as he thought of Kuwabara trying to make moves on his innocent sister in a dark movie theater.

"Um, Hiei…?" Yukina prompted timidly as she watched him begin to shake with rage.

"Oh, yes, I'll see the movie with you if that's what will make you happy," Hiei said quickly as he cleared the thoughts of Kuwabara from his mind. He leaped away to a new spot to train before Yukina could say anything else. He wanted time to himself to vent his anger at the thoughts of Kuwabara and Yukina together, and he also wanted to try to sort out why she was so interested in him all of the sudden.

Hiei slashed at the air with his sword, trying to focus on performing the techniques accurately. He imagined he was slashing Kuwabara into pieces. Unfortunately, Hiei's imagination had become hard to control in his rage. Kuwabara had taken on a Hydra effect. Every time Hiei cut off his head, Kuwabara's head and two orange pastry shaped hairstyles grew back in its place. After the imaginary Kuwabara had been successfully slaughtered by Hiei cutting his body in half, Hiei turned his attention to the conundrum of Yukina's sudden interest in spending time with him. He remembered his conversation with Kurama a few days ago. Kurama had said something about Yukina being concerned about the relationship between him and Kuwabara, and looking up to him as a brother figure. Perhaps Yukina wanted to spend more time with him in order to get a better sense of his opinions. Hiei wasn't sure why she would do that, as he was sure he had made his opinions on Kuwabara perfectly clear, but it seemed a likely possibility. Still, Yukina had no reason to value his opinion unless she had caught on to the fact that Hiei was indeed her long lost brother.

Hiei stopped slashing at this sudden horrifying realization. It would explain her odd behavior. She was acting so strangely towards him because she was unsure whether to reject him or to accept their biological relationship. She was mean to him because she was disappointed in what her brother had turned out to be. Hiei was sure that when she imagined her long lost twin, he would be much better than a vengeful thief like himself. On the contrary, she wanted to love him simply because he was her brother. He was the only family she had left now. There was still one thing wrong with this theory, however. Yukina could not possibly know for certain that they were related. Although Kurama liked to meddle in affairs that didn't concern him, Hiei trusted his closest friend to keep his secret. Hiei was also confident in the fear that he had stricken into Botan and the other girls to keep them from informing Yukina. Perhaps Yukina just had a hunch. Yes, that had to be it, it was a hunch. Hiei made up his mind then and there that he would do anything she requested of him. If Yukina were to come to the complete conclusion that they were twins, Hiei wanted her to be happy with him. He couldn't do anything about his appalling past; therefore, he would be the best damn brother he could be. And if she never decided anything for certain, at least Hiei could take comfort in being close to her so he could protect her.

While Hiei was having a mental battle with himself, Yukina had returned to the temple. She plopped down on the couch and tried to plan out Friday's events. She had never been to a movie theater before, and she was slightly nervous about how she was going to act. She was confident that human theatrics would look silly compared to the real monsters of the demon world. It would be such a stretch to pretend they even frightened her a little. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a loud groan a few feet away.

Yusuke stumbled to his feet, holding his head in his hands. "Oh man, this hangover kills!" Yusuke cried out. Yukina hurried off the couch and quickly ran over to him. She placed her hands on his face and began to heal his pain. After she had finished, the two of them sat on the couch together.

"Hey thanks Yukina, that headache would've taken forever to heal if you hadn't helped me out," Yusuke said gratefully.

"Of course, it was no trouble," Yukina stated absent-mindedly.

"Hey kid, what's wrong?" Yusuke inquired.

"Well…" Yukina started, not sure if she should share her romance problems with Yusuke. Then again, she had already trusted her problems to the girls, but no men. Maybe it would be useful to get a man's opinion on the subject. "I sort of like this guy, and I asked him to see a movie with me on Friday. He agreed to it, but it seemed sort of reluctant. I really care about him, but I don't want him to go places with me just out of pity."

Yusuke frowned at this confession. It was terribly unlike Kuwabara to show any sort of reluctance at the chance to do anything with Yukina, but then again, Yukina didn't have much experience in dealing with human emotions. She did seem to be rather clueless when it came to Kuwabara's affections. Yusuke was just about to offer her some comforting words when Kuwabara returned from the hot springs with a towel around his waist.

"Oh hey guys! Glad to see you didn't die of alcohol poisoning, Uramesha," Kuwabara stated upon seeing Yusuke conscious. Feeling a cold draft, Kuwabara looked down at himself and remembered he was only wearing a towel. He shrugged off the embarrassment and took this as a chance to show off his muscles for Yukina. As he stood in front of her and began to flex, Botan, Keiko, Kurama, and Shizuru burst through the door.

"Hello all!" Botan greeted cheerfully as she stepped inside. She observed the awkward scene in front of her and decided to try and ignore it by making conversation. "So, Kuwabara, you must be so excited for this weekend, right?

"What? Why? What's going on this weekend?" Kuwabara's hair cocked to the side in confusion. The girls all stared at Kuwabara in surprise. Suddenly, Keiko came to the conclusion that Yukina must have been too shy to ask Kuwabara to the movie, and then Yusuke distracted her with his hangover.

"Well Yukina wants to see the new zombie movie that comes out Friday, but she has no one to go with. You'd be happy to accompany her, wouldn't you?" Keiko asked.

"_What_?" Yukina blurted out.


	6. Chapter 6: What Goes Around Comes Around

Karma Chapter 6 What Goes Around Comes Around

Here it is, the final installment to Karma. After 3 years, it's finally coming to an end. –tear- I'd like to thank all of you who have been waiting impatiently for me to update, and those of you who have just recently discovered this story who plan on finishing it now. I'd like to give a special thanks to browneyes21 and my besties Jessica and Sarah for making this update possible. Without further ado, here is your chapter.

"Well of course I'd love to go with her! No request is too big or too small to fill for my darling Yukina!" Kuwabara exclaimed before Yukina could protest further.

Yukina was now trapped. There was nothing she could do now that Keiko had invited Kuwabara to join her and Hiei at the movie. It would look awfully suspicious to the men if she insisted upon being alone with Hiei. _What are they thinking?_ Yukina wondered. She knew there must be some sort of method to their madness, as their techniques hadn't failed her so far. She decided that she needed to discuss this with the girls ASAP.

"I'm glad you'll go with me, Kazuma," Yukina managed weakly, "But I'm feeling a little feverish right now. I think I'm just going to take a bath and go to bed. I'm afraid I'll fall and hurt myself in the bath in my weakened state though. Maybe one of you girls could help me?" Yukina asked giving the girls a hard look.

"Oh, of course we'll help you, Yukina!" Botan said enthusiastically. "In fact, maybe we should all keep an eye on you. You can never be too safe, you know."

At Botan's words, all of the girls headed up the stairs to the bathroom, Shizuru holding on to Yukina as they made their way up to the stairs to make it appear as though Yukina really were weak. Keiko and Botan entered the bathroom first, taking their seats on the edge of the bathtub. Yukina walked out from under Shizuru's arm and sat down on the lid of the toilet. Shizuru was the last to enter and as soon as she shut the door behind her, the discussion began."So what's up, kid? Why are you upset about the movies?" Shizuru inquired.

"If it's because I asked Kuwabara for you, I'm sorry. I just thought it might help you," Keiko interjected apologetically.

"It's just that Hiei said he wanted to accompany me to the movie as well. I don't really know how having them both there is going to work out," Yukina said with a sigh. Botan's mind began to reel at the problem. Hiei had obviously learned of their plans to set up a date with Kuwabara, and he clearly did not approve. His overprotective brother instincts had compelled him to declare himself a chaperone on Yukina's date, and Yukina had been far too kind, and probably far too confused, to reject his offer. Yukina didn't understand Hiei's desire to watch out for her, because she had no knowledge of the fact that Hiei was her long lost brother. She had simply agreed to allow him to come along, and then regretted the decision afterward. That was why Yukina had not asked Kuwabara to the movies before the others returned from their picnic. Yukina had been trying to figure out what to do about Hiei. As Botan considered the problem herself, Keiko spoke up.

"You just have to use the situation to your advantage," Keiko began, "Sometimes men don't truly realize how much they want to be with a girl until they face the possibility of her being with some other guy. If you make him jealous, he'll be all over you. So you just have to pay attention to both of them."

Botan gave Keiko a weird look. Instructing Yukina to flirt with her brother felt just plain gross. Even in the demon world, incest was never smiled upon. Although it really wouldn't take much attention from Yukina being focused on Hiei to cause Kuwabara to go from a harmless oaf to a green eyed monster, Botan reasoned. And it wasn't like Yukina _knew_ they were related. So nothing bad could possibly come of it.

"Keiko's right, just flirt with both of the guys and soon they won't be able to get enough of you!" Botan agreed.

"Well, how are you supposed to flirt with someone when he's trying to watch a movie?" Yukina asked innocently.

"Oh Yukina, you didn't really think boys took girls to movies to actually watch the film did you?" Shizuru said with a knowing smile, "They just like the idea of being in a dark place with a girl. Of course, you'd better not let them try anything. In fact, don't even let them touch you. Make sure they understand what's acceptable and what's not. And after you make that clear, maybe you shouldn't even talk to them, or they might try to talk you into something you don't want. If they do keep trying to talk to you, a swift kick to the-" Shizuru continued angrily.

"Uh Shizuru….don't you think you're going a little overboard here? This is Hiei and Kuwabara we're talking about here. I think Yukina will be fine," Botan interrupted nervously.

"Yeah, just keep in mind everything we've taught you so far." Keiko agreed, "Wear appropriate clothing and make up, pay attention to both men at the same time to make them jealous, act mean every once in awhile to throw them off, and if you ask them anything, DON'T take no for an answer, and if you get stuck, just pretend to act frightened by the movie. That'll get their attention right away,"

"OK, I'll try to keep all that in mind…" Yukina said tiredly. All of the girls' rules hadn't failed her so far, but following them was difficult and felt unnatural for Yukina. She had almost lost faith in their advice when Keiko had invited Kuwabara to the movies, but now she realized it was just part of their clever plan to make Hiei jealous. It sounded good in theory, but she was nervous about how it would work out. Yukina supposed that since her friends' advice had gotten her a date, she should just continue following it.

"I think that's all I needed, and I'm very exhausted. I'm going to go to bed now," Yukina said as she walked towards the door. She was eager to have some time to herself to think about how the date would go. As she changed into her pajamas and snuggled into her bed, Yukina's mind was swimming with fantasies of how her date with Hiei would go.

Yukina awoke the next morning feeling anxious about the upcoming weekend. She knew she was alone in the house with Hiei, because everyone else was at school or work. That should've made her happy, because it gave her plenty of opportunities to see Hiei, but it actually made her feel even more jittery. She had no idea what she would say to Hiei if they crossed paths. Reluctantly, Yukina dressed herself headed downstairs to the kitchen to eat breakfast, half hoping she wouldn't see Hiei and half hoping she would.

When Yukina reached the kitchen she was partly relieved and partly saddened by the fact that she was alone. She made herself some cereal and as she was just about to enjoy her first spoonful, she saw a black shadow out of the corner of her eye. An icy, nervous feeling filled her body. She stopped her hand from going up to her mouth, and it started to shake. She knew she had to say something before he noticed how nervous she was.

"Hiei…..hi," Yukina said weakly.

"Hello Yukina," Hiei replied while searching the cupboards for his protein shake mix.

"Uh, so is that Muscle Milk you're drinking?" Yukina asked, desperate for any kind of conversation.

"Yes?" Hiei answered with a suspicious air in his voice.

"Oh, that's cool. I've never had any of it, obviously. My muscles don't need milk!" Yukina said awkwardly, flexing her arm.

"Hn." Hiei responded.

"_Oh no, I killed the conversation! He must think I'm so stupid! Oh my god, quick, say something. Anything! Talk about the movies this weekend!" _Yukina thought hurriedly.

"So Hiei, Kuwabara is coming with us to the movies on Friday," Yukina blurted out. "_Great, just great. Mention that the guy he hates is going with us. Well, Keiko did say making guys jealous works in your advantage. Maybe this will work."_

Hiei blinked at her, not sure how to react to the news. His mind was clouded with rage. _So that's why she wanted me to go to the movie with her. She wants me to protect her from Kuwabara! He must have asked her and she was far too kind to turn him down. Well, if he thinks he's going to try anything on her…."_ Hiei's thought was interrupted by another. "_Kurama was spouting some nonsense about Yukina wanting my approval. Maybe she really is looking for my approval. Maybe she wants me to accompany her and Kuwabara to the movie to show her that I approve of him. Well I certainly don't, I just want her to be happy. And if that oaf makes her happy, then so be it. But why does she want my approval? She can't possibly know. And now what do I do? I can't be nice to Kuwabara. He doesn't deserve any kindness from me. But I can't hurt Yukina. Damn you, Kurama!_

"Hiei?" Yukina asked timidly, bringing Hiei out of his thoughts.

"Oh. That's fine," Hiei said, deciding on a neutral answer. Hiei quickly gulped down his protein shake and rushed out of room before Yukina had a chance to put him in another troubling position.

Yukina frowned at her cereal. She felt like she had driven him out of the room by mentioning Kuwabara. If she had made him jealous, it sure wasn't helping her. Maybe she just needed more time for the tactics to work. Yukina pushed her cereal bowl aside. She suddenly wasn't hungry after the conversation she had with Hiei. It had only made her nerves about the movies worse.

The next few days weren't any different for Yukina. They consisted mainly of a few short, awkward run-ins with Hiei. She felt as though he were avoiding her. A small part of her brain hoped that maybe he was just as nervous as she was. When Friday night finally arrived, she was a bundle of nerves. She couldn't believe it was really going to happen. Part of her was so nervous that she no longer wanted to go. The girls sent Yukina off with reminders of their advice and friendly 'good lucks.' She walked out the door to where Hiei and Kuwabara were waiting to walk with her to the movie theater. Yukina was grateful that it was a short walk, because she already felt very awkward. Kuwabara had offered her his jacket in case she was cold, and Hiei's reaction had been a murderous stare. Yukina supposed it was good that the whole jealousy thing was working, but she felt bad for toying with Hiei's emotions.

When they arrived at the theater, Kuwabara approached the ticket counter with confidence. "I'd like two tickets to HOLY SHIT ZOMBIE ATTACK ! please," Kuwabara said politely to the girl behind the counter. Hiei cleared his throat loudly. "What, I'm not paying for you shorty!" Kuwabara said angrily. Hiei frowned at that. As much as he didn't want any favors, he had no human money. He hadn't even considered what he would do when he got to the theater.

"As if I wanted any petty favors from you," Hiei said coldly. Yukina and Kuwabara proceeded into the theater, but Hiei was stopped by the girl behind the ticket counter.

"You didn't purchase a ticket, so you can't go in," She said firmly. Hiei didn't respond, he just made his jagan eye glow from beneath his head band. The girl jumped back in surprise and returned to her counter. Hiei quickly caught up to Kuwabara and Yukina, who were picking out candy at the concession stand. When they were done, Hiei walked Yukina into the theater, while Kuwabara followed behind with his arms full of every kind of candy offered at the concession stand. They took their seats in an empty row just as the previews were starting. When the opening credits appeared, Yukina looked nervously at the boys on either side of her. Nothing had been said or done so far, so Yukina figured she was already what Keiko would consider stuck. She stared up at the names flashing across the screen and doubted Keiko' s advice. This didn't seem to be terrifying, but then again, nothing in the previews for the movie had either.

"I'm scared," Yukina said quietly, hoping to break the silence.

"Awe don't be scared!" Kuwabara cooed. He tried to put his arm around her protectively, but he stopped his arm in mid air when he heard a low growl from Hiei. Yukina mentally frowned. It was clear Hiei was jealous, but it wasn't encouraging him to make any movies on her either. Yukina struggled with this for the rest of the movie, because the same thing kept happening throughout. Kuwabara would try to make a move on her, and Hiei would stop him with a stare or a noise, but he never tried to do anything himself. While Yukina was worried about Hiei's lack of action, Hiei was struggling with his own inner turmoil. He was trying so hard not to slice Kuwabara in half with his katana. He couldn't just sit by and let the pastry haired oaf make moves on his sister, but he didn't want to upset her if she wanted his approval. He tried hard to just look at the screen in front of him, but the cheesy movie bored him.

Suddenly, both of their thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream from Kuwabara, who was cowering behind the seat in front of him from the large zombie that appeared on the screen.

"Uh, Kazuma?" Yukina asked. Kuwabara gave her a startled look as if he had forgotten that she had been next to him the entire time.

"Uh, I was just surprised at how fake and lame this zombie looks!" Kuwabara said putting on a brave face and trying to cover his ass.

"Right," Hiei retorted sarcastically.

"Hey, watch it Tiny Tim!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"Quiet down over there!" Someone in the theater yelled.

"Sorry!" Yukina apologized quickly. This date was turning into a disaster.

The rest of the movie, everyone was quiet. Kuwabara was concentrating on trying not to look afraid, Hiei was pondering what had caused Yukina to suspect him of being her brother and whose throat he should be ripping out, and Yukina was wondering what she had done wrong to make Hiei so silent. The movie ended and they all stood up and left the theater quickly, with Yukina blinking tears out of her eyes. The walk home was just as silent and awkward. When they walked through the door of the house, everyone was gathered in the living room. Although they tried to look unconcerned, it was obvious they had been waiting for them to return. They were just dying to know what had happened. Suddenly, in front of everyone, Yukina decided it was time for drastic measures. Her friends had encouraged her to be confident, and most importantly, to not take no for answer. She wanted Hiei, and she wanted him to do something, and he wasn't. Well she wasn't accepting that answer. Just as Botan was about to ask how the movie was to get them on the subject, Yukina walked over to Hiei, place her hands on his cheeks, and kissed him. Botan let out a gasp. Hiei's eyes went wide with shock. Kuwabara started to cry. Yusuke cried out,

"Holy shit! This is just like Star Wars! Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, when Leia kisses Luke because she doesn't know that he's her twin brother!"

Yusuke's exclamation caused Yukina to break away from her kiss with Hiei. "What did you say?" She asked.

"Yes, what was that, detective?" Hiei asked with his red eyes burning with rage.

Botan quickly walked over to Yukina and put a hand on her shoulder. "Listen sweetie, I know we told you to make Kuwabara jealous to get him to notice you, but that may have been a bit too drastic," Botan said, trying to take the attention away from Yusuke's comment.

"Get Kuwabara to notice me? But I never wanted Kazuma's attention. He's a very good person, and a good friend, but I never wanted to be with him. This whole time I've been seeking Hiei's affection. He's always been there for me, and I feel so safe around him. Those feelings make me think that this is what you all describe as love. I thought you all knew the entire time that I was after Hiei. I thought that's why Keiko invited Kazuma to go to the movies with us. Because she knew that it would make Hiei jealous, and then he would pay more attention to me. But he didn't. It just upset him. So I decided to do something about it," Yukina blurted out hurriedly. She was aware of everyone's eyes on her. Her cheeks were pink with embarrassment. This was not at all how she had envisioned telling Hiei about her feelings for him.

"You put her up to this!" Hiei growled, foaming slightly at the mouth like a mad dog. "You took her clouded emotions and turned them into a catastrophe! How dare you play with her mind like that!" Hiei turned on all the girls with his jagan eye glowing bright purple.

"Well all this never would have happened if you had just told her the truth!" Keiko fought back angrily. Hiei stepped closer to Keiko, ready to unless his rage upon her and the other girls, who he felt were responsible for the situation. Suddenly, their confrontation was interrupted.

"Tell me the truth about what? What's going on?" Yukina exclaimed with tears in her eyes. She was so confused as to why Hiei was not only rejecting her feelings, but he was angry about them. Hiei looked at her and his heart broke into a million pieces. Keiko was right. She deserved to know the truth. It was wrong of him to hide it from her, when he knew that finding her brother meant so much to her. It was also obvious that his ideas about her being disappointed in having Hiei as her brother were completely wrong. She loved him. It wasn't the same kind of love that Yukina thought she felt for him, but she did love him. She would accept him if he told her. It would make her happy.

"Yukina, I'm your twin brother," Hiei spoke gently, as if he was afraid this revelation would cause her more pain. He waited for the tears to start falling. He waited for her to curse him for withholding the information from her. He waited for her to say she was ashamed to have him as her brother. But none of that happened. Instead, Yukina ran over and hugged him. She cried happy tears into his shoulder, and managed to mumble something along the lines of she was sorry for the confusion.

"Wait, so old short stack is Yukina's brother? So she can't leave me for him then right? So I still have a chance with her!" Kuwabara concluded hopefully.

"Well she did say she isn't interested in you right now, but maybe we can change that by making you our next project," Botan said with an evil smile.

And that's where I'm ending it. Phew. It's such a relief to finally finish this after however long it took me to write it xD I may not be done with it, as I may decide to edit some earlier chapters as my writing has improved over the years it took me to finally finish this. There will not be a sequel, of that I'm sure. But edits are a possibility so you can check for those. I'd also like to thank browneyes21 one last time for her encouragements and devotion to this story. And of course I'd like to thank the rest of you for reading, don't forget to review ;)


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